TIL Paramount executives tried to force the cast and crew of Scrooged to work on Christmas Day
Now that's some irony!
Filming began in December 1987. With Christmas approaching, director Richard Donner asked if the production could have Christmas Day off, but Paramount Pictures executives refused, insisting that filming should continue on Christmas Day. However, Donner outwitted them. At the end of the day on December 24th, he fired the entire cast and crew. Two days later, on December 26th, he rehired everyone. The break allowed the cast and crew members to spend Christmas with their families.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096061/trivia/?ref_=tt_ov_ql_3Open linkView original on lemmy.world
42 replies
asked? ASKED?!? Americans really need to start fighting for their rights as workers
These would be union workers too!
Which is why they asked and not told.
Huh?
WHICH IS WHY THEY ASKED AND NOT TOLD!!!!
But for real, I don’t know what the commenter means either haha.
I’ll be honest I’m anticipating some brain dead take about unions being ineffectual/anti-worker. But hoping for the best.
Also WHAT?
HE SAID, “WHICH IS WHY THE AXE IS NOT COLD!!!!”
You sure are loud for - oh, you're angry and a seal. Carry on.
Did they somehow miss the plot point of the movie where a TV executive was forcing cast members to work Christmas Eve instead of being with their families?
I hope the 3 ghosts have since visited whoever was in charge and sorted their shit out
I'm guessing it was less missing the point and more, "since there's no such thing as ghosts, it's fine for me to be Scrooge. I'll get away with it and fuck my family anyway."
Luigi has entered the roomI haven't seen this movie, but Jesus I didn't know it was insestual
See the movie. It's terrific.
idk I try to avoid films of rape or incest
I think he meant “fuck them” as in “who cares about them”, as there is not incest or anything like that in Scrooged!
What are you talking about? It's a comedy version of A Christmas Carol with Bill Murray.
"I'll get away with it and fuck my family anyway"
First of all, I was talking about what the executives would be saying about themselves, it's not a line in the film. Secondly, it's a figure of speech.
They're saying "fuck my family" because Scrooge is reconciled with his loving nephew's family at the end of A Christmas Carol.
This isnt reddit, people cant take jokes here /s
The plot is trivial, what matters is test screenings and market projections ...when all one cares about is making money.
We'll need the Luigi of Christmas past to help us out.
This is on point honestly and freaking hilarious. Glad Donner shut them down. Scrooged is a great movie with one great line after the next. Almost rivals Christmas Vacation.
“Oh look Frank, it’s a TOASTER! -WHAM!-“
“Adored!? Let's be honest, Lew. You paid for the women.”
"Bitch hit me with a toaster!"
At that point, Donner had been a director for over twenty years. He knew how the game was played. Hats off!
Does anyone have a source for this? The only place I've seen this story is IMDb, which anyone can edit, or other sites citing the same IMDb trivia paragraph. Nothing on Wikipedia or from direct quotes of actors/producers. I'm sure it's true, but I'm eager for more details. Why were the executives so insistent that everyone work Christmas Day?
Does seem odd. Was released November 22, 1988. Sounds like a long production and post-production (possible if not likely with film. all I know is Wayne's World was shot in less than a month around this era). Still, even more insane to not give XMas day off on a long production, if true.
Yeah, what good is a single day going to do, especially when it just demoralizes them and makes them work less hard. That said, it's not uncommon for executives and bosses to make these stupid choices not understanding that it'll actually hurt them instead. They don't get paid all that money to be smart.
Having worked on movie sets- because they're slave-driving assholes who only give a shit about money, which is why actors regularly go on strike.
They just wanted a method acting level of performance.